The Lost Child

1. What are the things the child sees on his way to the fair? Why does he lag behind?

Answer: A child’s mind wanders to each and everything which catches his fancy. While his parents are going ahead with all their attention on reaching the fair, the child enjoys every beauty of nature’s creation. The child enjoys the sight of dragonfly fluttering. Next moment he is engrossed in collecting beautiful flower petals. The very next moment he is appreciating the gait of swan.

Once in the fair his mind is wandering on everything on display. Right from colourful sweetmeats to balloons to garland to the snake his eyes are devouring everything on sight.

The child’s mind lives in the present and never thinks or bothers about past or future. This is what the author has tried to portray.

While engrossed in enjoying the colourful fair, the child gets lost. Probably he is too overawed by the colourful balloons, sweets, garlands, toys to keep pace with his parents.

2. In the fair he wants many things. What are they? Why does he move on without waiting for an answer?

Answer: Like any child he wants everything from the fair. He wants to have his cake and eat it too. But he knows that his father won’t be buying anything and would give some or other excuse for not doing so. In a way this shows that child has matured as well. He knows how to control his urges. He also understands that because of some reasons he won’t be in apposition to have each and everything from fair.

It is difficult to explain if he understands the right reason of his father refusing to get most of the things for him. Like all good parents his father may be wishing not spoil his kid. While the child may be getting a wrong message that his father is always furious and adamant.

3. When does he realise that he has lost his way? How have his anxiety and insecurity been described?

Answer: When he wishes to get a ride on the roundabout and calls for his parents he gets no reply. Then the child realizes that he is lost and separated from his parents.

His anxiety has been described by explaining how the child reacts and tries to find his parents. This is a very natural explanation and the author has avoided using difficult allegory. This makes the narrative simple to read and enjoy.

The child looks to his front and back and left and right. Then the child tries to find his father among people wearing yellow shirts but all his glimpse could catch yellow blobs in the crowd. At last he goes to the shrine, in the hope of finding his parents there.

This shows that the child is quite courageous and instead of crying his heart out he tries to find his parents. He doesn’t concede defeat at first go.

4. Why does the lost child lose interest in the things that he had wanted earlier?

Answer: For any child the security of cosy feeling of being with the family is the most important. While, the kid is with his parents he is enjoying everything on display in the fair and in the natural backdrop of butterflies, flowers and swan.

Once the harsh realization of being lost comes to his mind his top priority is to find his parents. Because parents give you long term sustenance, which can’t be provided by the neighbourhood uncle. The person who is trying to pacify the child by offering him many goodies will at the most give a temporary succor to the child. But to continue normal life he needs to be united with his parents. Although a child may not comprehend this complex thing, but the natural instinct of parent child bonding makes him behave the way he is behaving.